Fear The Sword

Game #32 -- Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers Game Night Open Thread

2009-01-03T00:00:07Z

08/2009 NBA Preseason
	@
14-18		26-5
January 2, 2009
Cleveland, OH
7:30 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - FSN HD
Season Series -- Cavs 2-0
Probable starters:
Derrick Rose	PG	Mo Williams
Ben Gordon	SG	Delonte West
Thabo Sefolosha	SF	LeBron James
Tyrus Thomas	PF	Ben Wallace
Aaron Grey	C	Zydrunas Ilgauskas

After suffering only their 5th loss of the season, the Cavaliers play their first game of 2009 tonight against the Chicago Bulls at the Q. Personally, I'm looking for the Wine and Gold to get back to waht they were doing in the beginning of the season, starting fast, jumping on teams and putting them away. As of late, the Cavs have been starting slow, falling behind and trying to rally. Against Miami, they were able to come back once, while losing the road game.

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Big Z to sit tonight against Bulls; Wally to return

2009-01-02T21:04:03Z

Zydrunas Ilgauskas hasn't been right since returning from a sprained ankle in mid-December. Neither has the Cavalier's offense. Now Z, who has been bothered by pain and stiffness in the ankle since the injury occured Dec. 10 will take the advice of Cleveland Clinic doctors and let the foot rest tonight against the Chicago Bulls.

There is no timeline on the return of Ilgauskas and the Cavs are likely to be very careful with the 7-3 big man who has had a plethora of foot injuries in his career.

Anderson Varejao will start in his place.

The Cavaliers are expected to get Wally Szczerbiak back into the lineup tonight after he missed the previous few games with a sore knee.

Mike Brown Named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month

2009-01-02T19:23:39Z

Cavaliers' Head Coach Mike Brown was recognized by the NBA by winning the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December --

Brown led the Cavaliers to an NBA-best 12-2 (.857) record during the month, which marked the Cavaliers second-best December in franchise history (13-2 in 1988-89). The Cavaliers are off to their best start in franchise history (26-5) and remain the only undefeated team at home this season in the NBA with a perfect 16-0 record.

During December, Cleveland led the NBA in point differential (13.0) and held their opponents to an NBA-low 85.9 points per game while ranking second in opponent field goal percentage (42.6) and third in opponent rebounding (37.9). The Cavaliers opened the month by winning their first six games (part of an 11-game winning streak from Nov. 22 - Dec. 12) and ran off six straight victories from Dec. 17-28. In addition to going 7-0 at The Q, Cleveland also went an NBA-best 5-2 (.714) on the road during December.

This marks the second time (Jan. 2008) Brown has received the award in his coaching career. With 13 wins during November and 12 wins in December, Brown led Cleveland to the most wins in a two-month period in franchise history (25) and to their first consecutive months with double figures in victories since the 1991-92 season when the Cavs won 10 games each in December and January.

The Los Angeles Lakers' Phil Jackson was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month. Other nominees for Eastern Conference Coach of the Month were Boston's Doc Rivers and Orlando's Stan Van Gundy.

Congrats to Brown, who seems on his way to coaching the Eastern Conference All-Stars in Phoenix next month as well.

Game #31 -- Cleveland Cavaliers @ Miami Heat Game Night Open Thread

2008-12-31T00:00:07Z

26-4		16-13
	@
December 30th, 2008
Miami, FL
7:30 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - FSN HD
Season Series - Cavs 1-0
Probable starters:
Mo Williams	PG	Mario Chalmers
Delonte West	SG	Dwyane Wade
LeBron James	SF	Udonis Haslem
Ben Wallace	PF	Shawn Marion
Zydrunas Ilgauskas	C	Joel Anthony

The Cavaliers have done a little bit of everything this season. They have won back-to-backs. They have swept the dreaded 4-games-in-5-nights, and they have swept a home and home with the 76ers earlier this year. They look to do it tonight, while stepping up their level of play, against the Heat.

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LeBron James Named Player of the Week(again)

2008-12-30T00:21:45Z

It gets to be old hat after awhile, doesn't it??

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was named today as the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, December 22nd through Sunday, December 28th.

In three games during the week, James averaged 26.0 points on .527 shooting, 6.7 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 39.7 minutes per game. James has now won the award 16 times in his career: for the third time this season and already equaling his total for 2007-08, twice in 2006-07, five times in 2005-06 and on three occasions during the 2004-05 campaign.

In receiving the award for the third time this season, James and the Cavaliers are off to their best start in franchise history (26-4). With three wins at home during the week, they extended their undefeated home record to 16-0 and remain the only undefeated team at home this season in the NBA.

James scored 15 of his game-high 27 points in the third quarter against Houston on December 23rd to lead the Cavs to a 99-90 victory. He also added a game-high nine rebounds and five assists.

In the game versus Washington on December 25th, he finished with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists. The Cavaliers were down by seven points with 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter and closed the game on an 11-0 run against the Wizards to come back and win the game 93-89. James led the rally with nine points, three rebounds and two assists in the final period.

On December 28th, James scored 33 points and tallied six rebounds and nine assists, including 11 points, three rebounds and four assists in the fourth quarter comeback versus Miami. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were down by nine points but Cleveland outscored the Heat 35-19 to win their sixth consecutive game.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. Other nominees for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week were Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace, Cleveland’s Mo Williams, Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey, Miami’s Dwyane Wade, Orlando’s Rashard Lewis and Toronto’s Jermaine O’Neal.

Game #30 -- Miami Heat @ Cleveland Cavaliers Game Night Open Thread

2008-12-29T01:08:11Z

16-12		25-4
	@
December 28th, 2008
Cleveland, Ohio
7:00 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - FSN HD
Season Series - 0-0
Probable starters:
Mario Chalmers	PG	Mo Williams
Dwyane Wade	SG	Delonte West
Udonis Haslem	SF	LeBron James
Shawn Marion	PF	Ben Wallace
Joel Anthony	C	Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Game #29 -- Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers Game Night Open Thread

2008-12-26T00:30:06Z

4-22		24-4
	@
December 25th, 2008
Cleveland, Ohio
8:00 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - TNT HD
Season Series - 0-0
Probable starters:
Mike James	PG	Mo Williams
Caron Butler	SG	Delonte West
Dominic McGuire	SF	LeBron James
Antawn Jamison	PF	Ben Wallace
Andray Blatche	C	Zydrunas Ilgauskas

I don't think this is what the NBA Schedule-makers had in mind when the decided to send the Washington Wizards to Cleveland for a Christmas Night meeting with the Cavaliers. Three straight years the Cavs sent the Wiz home early in the playoffs, with each meeting becoming more and more heated. Sounds like a great time, right?

Not exactly. Gilbert Arenas is earning every bit of that $100 million, having yet to play in a game this year, and Eddie Jordan has already been shown the door. Something tells me the game won't be a walkover for the Wine and Gold, however.

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Happy Holidays From FearTheSword!!

2008-12-25T05:00:07Z

From all of us at FTS Headquarters to all of you -- Happy Holidays, no matter how you chose to celebrate!! GO CAVS!

Game #28 -- Houston Rockets @ Cleveland Cavaliers Game Night Open Thread

2008-12-23T23:33:59Z

19-9		23-4
	@
December 23rd, 2008
Cleveland, Ohio
7:00 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - FSN HD
Season Series - 0-0
Probable starters:
Rafer Alston	PG	Mo Williams
Tracy McGrady	SG	Delonte West
Shane Battier	SF	LeBron James
Luis Scola	PF	Ben Wallace
Yao Ming	C	Zydrunas Ilgauskas

The Houston Rockets might just be the best team to visit the Q this season thus far. Luckily for the Cavaliers, they are at full strength now that Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Boobie Gibson are back from their injuries. Should be a fun one!

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A Few Good Questions With.....The Dream Shake, A Rockets Blog

2008-12-23T19:24:40Z

The guys over at The Dream Shake were nice enough to take some time and answer some question about Cleveland's toughest opponent to visit the Q this season, the Houston Rockets --

FTS -- What is the over-all feeling Rocket's fans on the McGrady-Ming duo. There are a lot of regular season wins, but not a lot of post-season success. Why is that?

DS -- Well, for the first few years we all decided that it was because McGrady didn't have much help on the wing or at the power forward position. Then we got stronger in those areas, but Yao went down for the playoffs last season. I think most fans pin the playoff losses more on McGrady than on Yao, at least the past ones - he was the guy that said "It's on me" if we didn't advance in the playoffs, so everyone made him keep his word, and thus, he took the brunt of the blame. McGrady's supporting cast also played poorly in many of those postseason games, and especially in the finale against Utah last year when T-Mac had at least 40 points and we still lost. As for the overall feeling this season, we still hope for health, but when healthy, we like Yao to be the primary scorer and for McGrady to score when open, but to pass as often as he can - he's a gifted passer and could honestly average a LeBronian 7-8 assists a game if he decided to try to do that.

FTS -- What has the addition of Ron Artest meant to the team? He is controversial to say the least, has he been on his best behavior in Houston?

DS -- Ron has given us another premier defender to pair with Shane Battier, thus allowing us to send multiple defensive looks at the same premier wing player for the opposing team, whether it's Vince Carter last night (10 points) or anyone else, say, Lebron. However, I think Ron's greatest impact will be coming off the bench and playing with players besides McGrady and Yao. Of course, all three will be in the game at the end, but over the course of the game, when T-Mac and Yao need rest, Ron can come in there and help keep a lead, strengthen it, or try to shorten a deficit. So far, he has played well coming off the bench, and while his numbers will take a dive, he is still going to be extremely productive on any given night. As for his behavior, let me just say this: There is something about Rick Adelman that keeps Ron from going nuts. He behaved well during Adelman's time in Sacramento, and he has behaved well so far down in Houston. I could care less why he is behaving well as long as he isn't behind bars.

FTS -- A couple years back there was a rumor that the Cavaliers were going
to acquire Luis Scola. I was high on him then and still am. What can you
say about him and how good do you think he can be?

DS -- Luis has been a solid 4-man since he arrived in Houston and has given us a legit post presence to pair with Yao. He has a good baseline jump shot and can even hit a 15 footer if he has time. He's a great rebounder as well and just a bulldozer under the basket. I think Luis can be a 15/10 guy in this league if he works at it. However, the only thing holding him back is his consistency. Some nights you'll see him dominate, others you won't see much of him at all. He really has to play well to stay in the game at times because we have guys like Carl Landry that can come in and play well in place of Scola. And of course, given the fact that we have so many other scorers, it's unlikely that Luis will have the opportunity to score 15 a game night in and night out. But so far, he's been solid for us, nothing less and nothing more.

FTS -- Where do you place Yao Ming on the list of current centers in the
NBA?

DS -- To me, there's no question that he's number one. When Yao came into the league, there were a few knocks on him: A) He wasn't in good shape, B) He wasn't powerful enough inside, and C) Can a guy that big stay healthy? So far, he has proven A and B to be false, and what many people don't realize is that Yao played in all but 2 games in his first 3 seasons, and for the most part, his injuries the last two years have been freak accidents that can happen to any big man. And that's as far as negatives went. Otherwise, Yao has the best post-up game of any center in the NBA, has a great outside shot, and though we don't use him outside too often, he can also nail a three given the chance (he does it in practice all the time). He is also a great rebounder and pretty good shot blocker - that's where Dwight's got him, if anywhere. Some people might ask, "So how does Yao not put up 30 and 10 like some of these all-time greats?" Well, two things. For one, zone defense is back in the NBA and hurts a postman's chances of getting room inside. And two, with all of the double teams Yao receives, even triple teams at times, he has become a very efficient passer. He only had 1.6 apg, but many of those passes will be sent to the corner immediately for an open three for Battier or anyone else. Yao's just the complete package and can dominate at any time over the course of the game. He has to be number one. Oh, and I forgot to mention, he shoots 87 percent from the Free Throw Line. Hack-a-Yao will never take place.

FTS -- Is there a player coming off the bench that Cavs fans don't know
that we will after tonight?

DS -- He may be starting if Rafer doesn't play, but either way, Aaron Brooks is a name that people need to start familiarizing themselves with. He's a short, lightening-quick point guard with an uncanny ability to score and whose passing skills are improving by the day. He's also developed a lethal 3-point shot and has range from about 3 feet behind the line, kind of like what you'll see out of J.R. Smith at times in Denver, those long three pointers. Our offense has blossomed of late under Aaron's leadership, and I think he can be a guy that can use his quickness to neutralize Delonte West or Mo Williams to an extent while making them work on the defensive end as well

Game #26 - Cleveland Cavaliers @ Denver Nuggets Game Night Open Thread

2008-12-20T03:00:07Z

21-4		17-8
	@
December 17th, 2008
Denver, CO
10:30 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - ESPN HD
Season Series - Cavs 1-0
Probable starters:
Mo Williams	PG	Chauncey Billups
Delonte West	SG	Dahntay Jones
LeBron James	SF	Carmello Anthony
Ben Wallace	PF	Kenyon Martin
Zydrunas Ilgauskas	C	Nene

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Further Proof LeBron James Has No Need For New York

2008-12-18T14:19:10Z

Listen to media pundits, former players and fans and you'll hear that the only way LeBron James will ever become the global media icon he so desires to be is to ditch Cleveland and head for a media captial like New York. Well, today comes further proof that LeBron is much, much bigger than the city he happens to call his basketball home. From today's Sporting News, Daily Edition --

LeBron James is so much more than a basketball star.

He's a movie and television star, too.

More than a Game, a documentary about James-and produced by him-has been purchased by Lions Gate for theatrical distribution and is expected to be released in the fall of 2009. Now it is being reported that James is working on the development of a 1-hour drama series based on his high scholl expereinces.

James will reportedly partner with O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson and ABC on the project, which is described as Friday Night Lights-meets-Entourage. It will follow an inner-city prep star who is transplanted to a small town as he comes of age while "dealing with media pressure, unscrupulous moneymen and the jealousy of his peers." If the series' pilot is approved, production could begin in the spring for a fall 2009 debut.

Once again, New York, you need LeBron James alot more than he needs you.

Game #25 - Cleveland Cavaliers @ Minnesota Timberwolves Game NIght Open Thread

2008-12-18T00:30:05Z

20-4		4-20
	@
December 17th, 2008
Target Center
8:00 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - FSN HD
Season Series - 0-0
Probable starters:
Mo Williams	PG	Randy Foye
Delonte West	SG	Mike Miller
LeBron James	SF	Ryan Gomes
Ben Wallace	PF	Craig Smith
Anderson Varejao	C	Al Jefferson

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Marion Trade Rumors Untrue

2008-12-17T12:08:29Z

Marion Trade Rumors Untrue

You never say never in the NBA; perhaps circumstances will change. But as of right now the Cavs and Heat are not in trade talks concerning Marion and Varejao. This is from multiple team sources. That is just so you know I'm not making it up or whatever, but it makes sense if you just think about it.

Right now the Cavs are not sure what they want to do, but they don't want to mess with this team's chemistry. They are considering their options, but history tells us that teams don't really get serious about trading for expiring contracts (which is what the Cavs have to use) until near the trading deadline. That is a long way away and options will be discussed for those months.

What the Cavs need is another big man and Marion isn't a big man and Varejao is. So if they made such a deal they'd be in worse shape. Which is why I said before, it doesn't make much sense.

Also, if the Cavs are going to use Wally Szczerbiak's contract they are going to go for a home run. This next trade very well may be the most important in Cavs history. So it has to be just right. I will write about this a lot more in the coming weeks, just know that right now this rumor isn't true -- Brian Windhorst

Marion to Cavs?

2008-12-16T19:48:48Z

Marion to Cavs?

Rumor floating around about Shawn Marion being shopped by Miami and linked to a possible offer of Andy V, and Wally.

Game #24 - Cleveland Cavaliers @ Atlanta Hawks Game Night Open Thread

2008-12-14T00:00:05Z

08/2009 NBA Preseason
	@
20-3		13-9
December 13th, 2008
Atlanta, GA
7:00 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - FSN HD
Season Series - Cavs 1-0
Probable starters:
Mo Williams	PG	Mike Bibby
Delonte West	SG	Joe Johnson
LeBron James	SF	Josh Smith
Ben Wallace	PF	Marvin Williams
Anderson Varejao	C	Al Horford

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Game #23 - Philadelphia 76'ers @ Cleveland Cavaliers Game Night Open Thread

2008-12-13T00:00:06Z

08/2009 NBA Preseason
	@
9-13		19-3
December 12th, 2008
Cleveland, Ohio
7:30 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - FSN HD
Season Series - Cavs 1-0
Probable starters:
Andre Miller	PG	Mo Williams
Willie Green	SG	Delonte West
Andre Iguodala	SF	LeBron James
Elton Brand	PF	Ben Wallace
Samuel Dalembert	C	Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Under normal circumstances the second game of a home and home is tough for the team that won the first game. Add a couple of injuries and getting the sweep is tougher yet. That is the take facing the Cavaliers as they begin life after Z, at least for the next few weeks.

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Injury Bug To Provide First Big Test To Cavaliers

2008-12-12T15:29:31Z

Time To Kill The Injury Bug

Nothing has stopped the Cavaliers so far this season. At 19-3, the Cavs have the 2nd best record in the League and look to be a title contender. Everything has been rolling along beautifully as the Wine and Gold has won 10 straight and 18 of their last 19 contests.

The waters are about to get a bit rough.

That nasty little injury bug has reared it's ugly head this week, forcing Mike Brown to alter his rotation for the foreseeable future. It started on Tuesday Night when Daniel Gibson sprained his big toe. He is expected to miss at least two weeks. The Cavs hardly missed a beat in jumping out to a big lead in Philadelphia on Wednesday, then that nasty little pest bit again. With about 9 minutes to go in the game, Zydrunas Ilgauskas came down on the foot of Donyell Marshall. He limped off the court with what has been diagnosed as a moderate sprain to his left ankle.

The team has not placed a timetable for Z other than to say he would miss this weekend's back to back at home against Philly tonight and tomorrow in Atlanta. After that is anyone's guess. Personally, I doubt we will see Z until after the New Year - 3-4 weeks. With all the problems Z has had with his feet the Cavs and Ilgauskas would be wise to be careful.

Mike Brown will now have to dig into the depth of the team and come up with a combination that will keep winning. Obviously, the Cavs have some depth on the front court with Anderson Varejao and Ben Wallace, especially defensively. What they lose is substantial offensive production.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Zydrunas Ilgauskas	22	25.9	6.0	11.5	52.4	0.2	0.5	40.0	2.6	3.0	85.1	2.6	5.0	7.6	1.5	1.8	0.4	1.3	2.3	14.8

Z was arguably having his best season since his All-Star season. The Cavaliers were feeding the big fella and he was producing. The Cavaliers will need to find a combination that will make up for the 15 points per game Z brings.

We'll start with Varejao and Wallace. At the beginning of the season it was a concern how much time these two guys spent on the floor together because of the offensive limitations. Luckily, Andy has shown a much improved offensive game, especially from the 10-15 foot range. Let's look at the numbers --

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Anderson Varejao	22	24.5	3.2	5.5	57.9	0.0	0.1	0.0	2.2	3.2	69.0	1.5	5.0	6.5	1.3	0.9	0.9	0.7	2.9	8.6

His numbers aren't that far off from what Z was doing. If Andy can add a couple of buckets in the extended minutes he is likely to get the Cavs should be ok.

What about the depth from the bench? With Andy likely to start in Z's place, J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson are likely to see a substantial increase in minutes played. Now is the time all of those blow-outs pay dividends. Hickson and Jackson have seen a lot of action this season already because the Cavs have been able to rest their starters in several games this season. Jackson even saw big-time action against the Raptors the other night. Mike Brown has gained faith in his young big-men and now is the time for them to pay him back.

This isn't going to be an easy stretch for the Cavs. Tonight they face the Sixers for the second straight game, a tough task to beat a team twice in a row. After tonight the team will head out for 4-straight on the road. Can the Cavs overcome the adversity?

That will be the big question. Look for the Cavs to get back to what they do best, play defense. The games might be closer, they might be a bit uglier, but the Cavs, starting with LeBron James, will take this latest "roadblock" and use it as motivation. That's what MVP's do, that's what Championship Contenders do. That's what the Cleveland Cavaliers will do.

Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas suffered a left ankle sprain with 9:39 remaining in the fourth...

2008-12-12T01:40:57Z

Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas suffered a left ankle sprain with 9:39 remaining in the fourth quarter in Wednesday's game in Philadelphia. He did not return to the game. He was examined by Dr. Richard Parker at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health today. X-rays were negative and a moderate left ankle sprain is confirmed. He is listed as OUT for Friday’s game versus Philadelphia and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas Injury Update

Game #22 - Cleveland Cavaliers @ Philadelphia 76'ers Game Night Open Thread

2008-12-11T00:15:05Z

08/2009 NBA Preseason
	@
18-3		9-12
December 10th, 2008
Philadelphia, PA
8:00 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - ESPN HD
Season Series - 0-0
Probable starters:
Andre Miller	PG	Mo Williams
Andre Iguodala	SG	Delonte West
Thaddeus Young	SF	LeBron James
Elton Brand	PF	Ben Wallace
Samuel Dalembert	C	Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Can the Cavs get that ellusive 10th win in a row?? They'll try tonight in the first game of a home and home with Philadelphia. Elton Brand has missed the last two for Philly but vows to return tonight.

For the Cavaliers, Daniel Gibson will miss at least 2 weeks with a sprained big toe. That will likely mean more minutes for Mo Williams, Delonte West and Sasha Pavlovic.

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